Infrastructure Development
REINVEST- 2020

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about REINVEST 2020) + Mains ( GS III infrastructure development- energy)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister will inaugurate the virtual 3rd Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo (RE-INVEST 2020), on 26 November 2020.

Know! about the 3rd RE-Invest meet

• The 3rd RE-Invest will build upon the success of the first two editions held in 2015 and 2018 and provide an international forum for investment promotion in renewable energy.
• It will also send signals to the global renewable community about India's commitment to the development and scaling up of renewable energy to meet its energy requirements in a sustainable manner.

• RE-INVEST 2020 will include a two-day virtual conference on renewables and future energy choices and an exhibition of manufacturers, developers, investors and innovators engaged in the clean energy sector.
• RE-INVEST will inform about the Government's plans and programmes and also foster engagement among industry, investors and other stakeholders to take forward India's renewable growth story.
• It would facilitate collaboration and cooperation with key stakeholders in India, which has emerged as one of the world's largest renewable energy markets today.

India's renewable energy (achievements so far)

• The Minister informed that during the last six years, India's renewable energy capacity has increased by two and half times. Solar energy capacity has increased 13 times.
• The share of non-fossil fuel energy sources in our power generation capacity has increased to 136 GW, or about 36 per cent of our total capacity.
• By 2022, the share is expected to further increase to over 220 GW.

• The PM- KUSUM scheme, aims to replace 20 lakh diesel pumps with stand-alone Solar Pumps, solarize 15 lakh grid connected pumps, and 10 GW decentralized solar power plants in uncultivable lands of farmers within next four years.
• Initiative to include solarisation of agricultural feeders under the scheme has been taken. This would significantly reduce the subsidy burden of States.

Know! more about the 3rd Global RE-INVEST

• India's biggest Renewable Energy event, will be held online from 26 - 28 November 2020.
• The 3rd Global RE-INVEST Renewable Energy Investors Meet & Expo, organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, will feature a 3-day digital conference on renewables and future energy choices.

• There will also be a virtual exhibition of manufacturers, developers, investors and innovators.

• RE-INVEST 2020 will be a digitally-enabled global platform based on the theme ‘Innovations for Sustainable Energy Transition'.

• It aims to accelerate the worldwide effort to scale up development and deployment of renewable energy and connect the global investment community with Indian energy stakeholders.

• The 3rd Global RE-INVEST provides an opportunity to RE stakeholders from across the globe to showcase Renewable Energy Products, Services, Technologies, Innovations, Best practices and success stories on a customized official digital platform to focused partners and investors.

Government Schemes
Micro-Irrigation Fund (MIF)

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about MIF and PMKSY) + Mains ( GS III farmers welfare + GS II government initiatives)

What's the NEWS

• Micro Irrigation Fund with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crore created with NABARD was operationalised in 2019-20.
• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India is the Nodal Ministry.

• The objective of the Fund is to facilitate the States in availing an interest subvented loan for expanding coverage of Micro Irrigation by taking up special and innovative projects and also for incentivising micro irrigation beyond the provisions available under PMKSY-Per Drop More Crop to encourage farmers to install micro irrigation systems.

Know! about Micro Irrigation

• Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) has been playing a leading role for the promotion of improved irrigation methods like drip and sprinkler irrigation.
• DAC&FW launched centrally sponsored scheme on Micro Irrigation in 2005-06 which was subsequently converted as National Mission on Micro Irrigation in 2010-11.
• During 2014-15, the scheme was subsumed as On Farm Water Management component of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) and further subsumed under Per Drop More Crop Component of PMKSY.

• The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was launched on 1st July, 2015 with the objective to achieve convergence of investments in irrigation sector at field level.
• The scheme aims at providing end-to-end solutions in irrigation supply chain, viz., water resources, distribution network, farm level applications and improving water use efficiency.
• PMKSY not only focuses on creating sources for assured irrigation, but also creating protective irrigation by harnessing rain water at micro level through ‘Jal Sanchay' and ‘Jal Sinchan'.
• Micro irrigation (MI) is an integral component of PMKSY to maximise water use efficiency at field level and ensuring ‘Per Drop-More Crop' (PMKSY- PDMC).

Health
Ayushman Bharat Health & Wellness Centres (HWCs)

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about AB-HWCs) + Mains ( GS II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health,
Education, Human Resources

What's the NEWS

• India has crossed a landmark milestone on the journey of universal healthcare. More than 50,000 (50,025) Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) are now operational across the country.
• Aiming at providing Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) services to the communities closer to their homes, 1.5 lakh AB-HWCs are to be established by December 2022.

• This has led to improved access to affordable primary healthcare services for more than 25 crore people.

Know! all about Health & Wellness Centers (HWCs)

• Ayushman Bharat was launched in 2018 with its twin pillars of Health & Wellness Centers (HWCs) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) with bidirectional linkages between the two for providing the full range of services across the continuum of care.
• The first AB-HWC was launched on the 14th of April 2018 at Jhangla in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh.
• The Health & Wellness Centers provide CPHC services to people and sustain the efforts for provision of reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, adolescent and nutrition (RMNCHA+N) services and control of communicable diseases.
• They also focus on disease prevention, especially for chronic and non-communicable diseases, wellness through community engagement and creating awareness about health lifestyles, appropriate nutrition and physical activities such as Yoga.
• The HWC team consists of a trained Community Health Officer, one or two Health Workers and 5-8 ASHAs.
• This team has well defined tasks which intend to deliver public health functions and primary health care by bringing health-care services closer to the community.

eSanjeevani platform

• HWCs also provide a strong backbone for the implementation of the eSanjeevani platform of Health Ministry which includes the eSanjeevani Patient-to-Doctor OPD and eSanjeevani-HWC which provides Doctor-to-Doctor teleconsultation service.
• The eSanjeevani-HWC was rolled out in November 2019. It is to be implemented in all the 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres in a 'Hub and Spoke' model, by December 2022.
• States need to set up dedicated 'Hubs' in Medical Colleges and District hospitals to provide tele-consultation services to 'Spokes', i.e. Health & Wellness Centres (HWC).

International
15th G20 Leaders' Summit

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about summit highlights)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister will be attending the 15th G20 Summit chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the theme "Realising the Opportunities of 21st Century for All" on 21-22 November 2020. The meeting will be held in a virtual format.
• The upcoming summit is the second G 20 Leaders' meeting in 2020.

Know! about the summit highlights

• The last G 20 Extraordinary Leaders' summit was held in March 2020, where the leaders developed a timely understanding among the G20 countries to help contain the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic and to forge a global coordinated response.
• The focus of the upcoming G20 Summit will be on an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19.

• During the G 20 Summit, the leaders will discuss pandemic preparedness and the ways and means to restore jobs. The leaders will also share their vision for building an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future.
• India will enter the G20 Troika, along with Saudi Arabia when Italy will take over the Presidency of the G-20 on 1st December, 2020.

Prelims Factoids
Loktantra ke Swar and The Republican Ethic released

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Loktantra ke Swar and ‘The Republican Ethic' )

What's the NEWS

• Raksha Mantri released the third volume of the Selected Speeches of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind titled - Loktantra ke Swar and ‘The Republican Ethic'

Know! more about the release

• This compilation of speeches of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind presents a comprehensive picture of his work, personality and values.
• In these speeches, the preferences of a sensitive and idealistic public servant, a fair person living life based on morality can be seen.
• Information and Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar released the e-version of the book on the President's speeches.
• The Loktantra ke Swar and ‘The Republican Ethic', published by the Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, are series of books of collection of selected speeches of the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind in Hindi and English respectively.
• The third volume, released today, contains 57 selected speeches of the President delivered during the third year of his presidency.

Bilateral Relations
India-Luxembourg hold first summit in two decades

Relevance IN - Prelims ( summit takeaways) + Mains ( GS II bilateral relations)

What's the NEWS

• India and Luxembourg signed three agreements to deepen cooperation in the financial sectors and further vowed to look at new opportunities for expanding trade and business ties as the two countries held a summit after a gap of two decades.

Know! about the agreements signed

• The agreements included one between India International Exchange and Luxembourg Stock Exchange that will provide for cooperation in financial services industry.
• Another pact was signed between the State Bank of India and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange for similar cooperation.
• The issue of long-pending free trade agreement between India and the European Union figured in the talks
• A high-level mechanism is going to examine the long-pending matter as decided at the India-EU summit.
• The leaders expressed their determination to promote effective and reformed multilateralism and a rules-based multilateral order with the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core

Know! about India - Luxembourg relations

• Luxembourg is one of the most important financial centres globally. Several Indian companies have raised capital by issuing Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) at the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
• Several Luxembourg-based investment funds hold substantial banking and asset management market share in portfolio investments in India.
• Luxembourg is a key country in the European Union (EU) and it is the third largest source of Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPI) investments in India after US and Mauritius accounting for approximately 8.5 per cent of these investments.

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